The Revolutionary Party

Critique of the Gotha Programme By Karl MarxWhen the two sections of the German socialist movement fused in 1875, Marx
was very critical of their first programme, approved at the Gotha Congress, and written by
some of his supporters. This text offers important insights into how to approach the question
of tactical alliances and compromise in a way that forwards ideological clarity, rather than
generating confusion.

What is to be Done? By V.I LeninLenin's What is to be done? is sometimes, incorrectly, treated as
the last word in organisational wisdom for the revolutionary movement. But despite it's
weaknesses (see Lenin and the Party)
it remains a core text for the Marxist theory of the party, and was a central political
document in the formation of the Russian Socal Democratic Labour Party which gave birth to
the Bolsheviks.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back By V.I LeninOne Step Forward is Lenin's account of the Second Congress of the
Russian Socal Democratic Labour Party, at which the Bolshevik-Menshevik split occurred.

Lenin: Building the Party By Tony CliffAn excellent biography of Lenin's political life up to WWI. Looks at the
construction of the Bolshevik Party.

Sectarianism By Duncan HallasHallas looks at that most misused term on the left: sectarianism.

Lenin and the Party: Debunking the Myths By Sandra Bloodworth, Marc Newman & Mick ArmstrongThis pamphlet looks the development of Lenin's ideas on the party, their
supposed practice on the left, and tries to extract the real core of Lenin's ideas on the
revolution organisation from under a pile of distortions.

Democratic Centralism By Mick ArmstrongThis short essay looks at the development of of the term "democratic centralism".